ITPI20090020A1 - COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLE AND METHOD OF MANAGEMENT OF SUPPLIES IN COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLES FOR URBAN TRANSPORT. - Google Patents

Description

Description

COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLE AND REFILL MANAGEMENT METHOD OF COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLES FOR URBAN TRANSPORT.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for managing supplies in compressed air vehicles for urban public transport.

The invention also refers to the method of storing the propellant in a vehicle equipped with at least one compressed air engine.

STATE OF THE ART

As known in recent years, vehicle design has increasingly focused on finding solutions to reduce the production of pollutants.

For some years already, vehicles with electric propulsion or hybrid vehicles equipped with both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor have begun to be proposed.

The major limitations of these vehicles lie in the low performance and, above all, in the autonomy which is still very limited compared to that of traditional internal combustion engines, even if in recent years, thanks to the strong development of technology in the sector of electric energy accumulators. , it was possible to create vehicles with good autonomy with a fairly low weight of the accumulators. On the other hand, an unsolved problem concerns the recharging times of the accumulators. An accumulator battery in an electric vehicle requires recharging times of a few hours, thus making it necessary to resort to measures such as the provision of auxiliary internal combustion engines or the replacement of discharged accumulators with a set of charged accumulators.

Despite the aforementioned limitations, the adoption of electrically powered vehicles remains, to date, the main solution at least in the historic centers of large urban centers as regards wheeled vehicles.

Certainly the use of electrically propelled vehicles is very widespread in public transport thanks to the adoption of rail vehicles such as trams or trolley buses, which however involve the presence of extremely expensive infrastructures and the constraint to follow predetermined routes during the design phase.

The search for solutions with a very low environmental impact has led in recent years to develop compressed air engines and to try to build vehicles using these engines.

In particular, patent documents relating to compressed air propulsion apparatuses, parts thereof or auxiliary devices for compressed air propulsion systems, such as for example international applications WO 97/48884, WO 98/12062, WO 98/15440, WO 98/32963, WO 99/37885.

A different engine capable of using compressed air as a propellant, based on the concept of a rotary piston, is described in the document WO 01/06093 in the name of Di Pietro.

The possibility of producing compressed air engines has given impetus to the design of vehicles using such engines which, although highly anticipated as they are completely free from harmful emissions, currently still present considerable problems of practical feasibility.

Among the above problems there is certainly the difficulty of providing such vehicles with adequate performances, comparable to those of vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines.

In particular, it has been found to date extremely difficult to create vehicles that combine sufficient autonomy with adequate power and maximum speed.

To date, to obtain maximum autonomy, we have tried to minimize the weight of the vehicle, already high due to the inevitable presence of compressed air tanks, creating frames in light alloys, minimizing structural elements and accessory components and limiting the number of passengers that can be carried. This inevitably leads to further design difficulties to ensure that such vehicles retain the necessary safety and security requirements for passengers in the event of a collision or other traumatic event.

Certainly, the aforementioned limits are also one of the main reasons why compressed air vehicles are not currently taken into consideration for urban public transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a method for managing refueling in vehicles equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system which allows the practical and convenient usability of such vehicles in urban public transport.

A further object of the present invention is to propose an infrastructure to allow the refueling of compressed air vehicles in urban centers.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a method of managing the supplies of compressed air vehicles that allows to overcome the limits of compressed air vehicles of the known technique, in particular as regards the operating autonomy.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a compressed air vehicle capable of overcoming the limits of the known art in particular as regards the operating autonomy.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a supporting structure for vehicles equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system.

The above purposes are achieved by means of a method for managing refueling in vehicles for urban public transport equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system, in which said method comprises steps of:

- construction, in a predefined area of a built-up area, of an infrastructure of compressed air refueling stations; - refueling of vehicles equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system at said refueling stations.

Preferably, the infrastructure includes at least one compressed air compression system that feeds a compressed air distribution network having withdrawal points at said refueling stations.

Alternatively, a high pressure compressed air production plant can be located at each filling station.

Advantageously, the phase of construction of the infrastructure includes a phase of defining the position of the refueling stations, said definition taking place according to the shape and size of the area to be served by said compressed air vehicles, the autonomy of said vehicles and any additional parameters such as urban, architectural and landscape constraints, safety regulations, routes and stopping positions of said vehicles.

Still advantageously, the compressed air vehicles perform routes with predefined and programmed stops for the boarding and alighting of passengers, said refueling stations being located near the stop areas, said refueling phase taking place during the stops of the vehicles for boarding and alighting. descent of passengers.

In particular, when a compressed air vehicle reaches the proximity of a refueling station, it is guided by automatic driving means to position itself at the refueling station in such a way as to bring compressed air supply vents of said vehicle in correspondence with means of compressed air distribution of said refueling station, the connection of said compressed air distribution means with said compressed air supply openings taking place automatically when said vehicle is correctly positioned.

The aforementioned purposes are also achieved by means of a vehicle provided with at least one compressed air propeller in which at least one compressed air reservoir is formed in the supporting structure of the vehicle itself.

In particular, the load-bearing structure of the vehicle comprises longitudinal and transverse load-bearing elements, and at least one of said load-bearing elements consists of a compressed air reservoir.

Advantageously, the load-bearing elements used as compressed air tanks are internally hollow and the compressed air can be stored in these cavities thanks to the presence of at least one supply outlet.

Still advantageously, the compressed air vehicle of the invention can be equipped with at least one auxiliary electric or internal combustion engine with reduced performance designed to allow the vehicle to travel short distances in the absence of the main compressed air propulsion.

Thanks to the method of the invention, it is possible, through the construction of a relatively simple infrastructure, to use compressed air vehicles in urban centers, which are very quiet and with virtually no polluting emissions.

One of the greatest advantages of setting up an infrastructure of refueling stations within a short distance of each other is the possibility of designing compressed air vehicles with very limited autonomy, increasing the frequency of refueling.

As the autonomy constraint disappears, it is possible to adopt more powerful engines, capable of moving relatively heavy structures and carrying a large number of passengers.

High filling speeds of the compressed air tanks present on the vehicle allow refueling during scheduled stops of the vehicles for the boarding and alighting of passengers.

This last advantage is even more evident in the case in which the refueling operations take place automatically, for example by means of automatically connecting compressed air inlets in the vehicle's tanks with distribution outlets present in the roadway or in special small columns. A vehicle according to the invention is particularly suitable for use within the application of the method of the invention since the use of the vehicle supporting structure as a container for compressed air allows to optimize the vehicle weights and consequently the performance of the same thus allowing a higher passenger transport capacity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages associated with the method of the invention for managing refueling in vehicles equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system and with compressed air vehicles according to the invention will however be more easily understood by illustrating non-limiting embodiments. , as described below with the aid of the attached drawing tables, in which:

- Figure 1 represents a perspective view from below of the supporting structure of a vehicle according to the invention;

- Figure 2 represents a map of travel lines of compressed air public transport supplied by means of a compressed air distribution infrastructure according to the method of the invention;

- Figure 3 represents a side view of a compressed air vehicle refueling at a filling station of a compressed air distribution infrastructure according to the method of the invention;

- Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a compressed air vehicle near a refueling station according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MANUFACTURING FORMS

With reference to Figure 1, the bearing structure of a compressed air vehicle is indicated as a whole with 10 in which longitudinal bearing elements 11 are visible, with a substantially rectangular section, transverse bearing elements, 12, also with a substantially rectangular section, uprights, 13, and cross members, 14, for the protection of the passenger compartment, support structures of the front wheels, 15, and of the relative transmission means, support structures of the rear wheels, 16, longitudinal compressed air tanks, 18 and air tanks transverse compress, 19.

The longitudinal compressed air tanks 18, cylindrical in shape and hollow internally, are connected to each other by means of the transverse tanks 19, also cylindrical in shape and hollow internally, and all together form a single tank since the respective cavities are in communication between them. In this way, a single supply nozzle, 20, can be provided for filling the tanks.

As clearly visible in the figure, the tanks 18 and 19 are an integral part of the vehicle structure and connect, in the central area of the vehicle, the left portion with the right portion thereof.

In fact, laterally and externally the longitudinal tanks 18 are directly connected by welding to transversal bearing elements 12, and at the front said longitudinal tanks are connected to the support structures of the wheels 15, while at the rear they are connected to a further transversal bearing element 12, again by means of of welds.

Certainly in fig. 1 the supporting structure of the vehicle is represented in an extremely schematic way, useful for understanding the inventive concept. In fact, the methods of implementation of the inventive concept itself could also be very different from the one represented. The tanks 15 and 16 could also have a very different shape, even with a rectangular section, similarly to what happens for the other load-bearing elements 11 and 12; the internal compartments of the various tanks could not be connected to each other, and in this case more supply outlets 20 would be provided; safety means will certainly be provided, such as relief valves; finally, the shape, the dimensions and the elements making up the supporting structure itself could also differ considerably from those of the example represented since the use of compressed air propellers involves a complete redesign of the supporting structure with respect to those of the known technique normally used when using internal combustion or electric engines.

A vehicle according to the invention is advantageously used for public transport in urban centers according to the method of the invention.

For this purpose, an infrastructure of high pressure compressed air refueling stations, of the order of 300 bar or higher, is set up within the urban area to be served by compressed air public transport.

The design and construction of the infrastructure takes place according to numerous parameters.

The area that must be served by compressed air public transport is defined, both in terms of overall size and shape.

Therefore, rough routes can be defined that should be followed by vehicles.

The number of refueling stations and the maximum distance between them can therefore be calculated based on the autonomy of the vehicles.

Therefore, according to the routes and scheduled stops of the vehicles for the boarding and alighting of passengers, the position of the refueling stations can be defined.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the infrastructure can be set up within an area of approximately 20 km <2>, approximately rectangular in shape, with the longer side of about 5 km and the shorter side of about 4 km .

Within this area, 6 urban transport lines are therefore identified, from L1 to L6, designed to create, through scheduled stops, S, an adequate service for connecting the nerve centers of the area itself.

Assuming that the single vehicle has an autonomy of a few kilometers, thus favoring the transport capacity over the autonomy, the density and position of the compressed air filling stations are defined, preferably located in correspondence with programmed stops S.

By adopting this solution, the pause times necessary for the boarding and alighting of passengers can be used to carry out the operations of compressed air refueling of the vehicle tanks.

In fact, by means of the latest generation "high-end" compressors and thanks to the fact that the quantity of compressed air to be stored is limited as it must guarantee a limited autonomy, the refueling operation can take place in a very short time, at maximum 3 or 4 minutes.

In the embodiment highlighted in Fig. 2 the refueling stations 30 are fed with compressed air from three distinct distribution lines and exactly a first line, 40A, fed by a first compressor, 50A, a second line, 40B, fed by a second compressor, 50B, and a third line, 40C, fed by a third compressor, 50C.

This solution has obvious advantages. As shown in fig. 3, a distribution line, 40, can be realized through a pipe, 41, buried under the road surface, while in correspondence with the refueling stations 30, located in correspondence with programmed stops S of the vehicle, fittings, 42, suitable for bringing the compressed air to distribution means, 43, present in the roadway. During the stop of a vehicle, V, automatic means for connecting the distribution means 43 with the compressed air supply openings to the tanks of the vehicle itself are activated for the ascent and descent of the passengers, and then the tanks are filled. The operation takes a maximum of 3 or 4 minutes overall.

The aforementioned automatic connection means may include means for automatically aligning a tank adduction nozzle with a distribution nozzle in the event that the vehicle is stopped in an optimal position for refueling. Said alignment means can be provided in correspondence with the supply nozzle, in correspondence with the distribution nozzle or on both outlets.

With reference to Fig. 4, in the case of the adoption of the automatic connection means described above, the operation can be simplified and speeded up by the presence of means for identifying the position of the vehicle represented for example by signal emitters, 60, present on the carriageway , corresponding sensors 61 on board the vehicle and automatic driving means which, according to the detected position, guide the vehicle to the correct refueling position.

The presence of underground distribution lines and compressed air distribution means lying in the roadway level allows for the creation of a practically invisible infrastructure, with zero impact on the architectural features of the urban center. The compressors 50 which feed the refueling stations can be located in particularly suitable positions, in compliance with any architectural, urban planning or safety constraints.

Once an infrastructure as described above has been defined and adequately built, compressed air vehicles for urban public transport with even a very limited autonomy can travel along the lines assigned to them by making the stops scheduled for them. During some of these scheduled stops, the refueling operations that take place during the stops themselves are carried out, without therefore requiring additional time for these operations which would therefore entail additional management costs.

Certainly, with respect to what is described above, numerous modifications can be made to the method of the invention. For example, instead of using compressed air distribution lines, a separate compressor and relative compressed air storage tank could be provided at each refueling station. At refueling stations, refueling operations could be performed manually by an operator. The method could be implemented to refuel vehicles by rail rather than road, or the refueling stations could be used by smaller vehicles such as small shuttle buses, taxis, or private cars.

Certainly, in the design and construction of the infrastructure it may be necessary to take into consideration parameters that are also very different from those outlined above, parameters which will in any case be those usually taken into consideration in the design of infrastructures for urban transport and in the design of high-pressure compressed air systems. pressure.

Finally, many other changes may be made to the method and to the compressed air vehicles object of the present invention while remaining within the scope of implementation of the inventive idea described above and within the scope of protection defined by the following claims.

In fact, the above description of specific embodiments is useful to illustrate the basic concept of the invention, so that experts in the field can implement it by modifying and adapting the aforementioned embodiments to the various applications; such adaptations and modifications will therefore be considered as equivalent to the exemplified embodiments. It is understood that the expressions or numbering used have a purely descriptive purpose and to aid in the understanding of the inventive concept and therefore not limitative.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Method for managing refueling in vehicles for urban transport, preferably public, equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system characterized in that it comprises steps of: - creation, in a predefined area of a built-up area, of an infrastructure of compressed air refueling stations; - refueling of vehicles equipped with at least one compressed air propulsion system at said refueling stations. 2. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that at least one compressor for the production of high pressure compressed air is located at each of said refueling stations. 3. Method according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said infrastructure includes at least one air compressor that feeds a compressed air distribution network having withdrawal points at said refueling stations. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the step of creating said infrastructure comprises a step of defining the position of said refueling stations, said definition taking place according to the shape and size of the area to be served by said compressed air vehicles, the autonomy of said vehicles and any additional parameters such as urban planning, architectural and landscape constraints, safety regulations, routes and stopping positions of said vehicles. 5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said vehicles carry out routes with predefined and programmed stops for the boarding and alighting of passengers, said refueling stations being located near the stop areas, said refueling phase taking place during said stops for boarding and alighting of passengers. 6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in proximity to a refueling station, said vehicle is driven by automatic driving means adapted to position said vehicle in such a way as to bring compressed air supply openings of said vehicle into correspondence with compressed air distribution means of said refueling station, the connection of said compressed air distribution means with said compressed air supply openings taking place automatically when said vehicle is correctly positioned. 7. Vehicle provided with at least one compressed air propeller characterized in that at least one compressed air tank is formed in the supporting structure of said vehicle. 8. Vehicle according to the preceding claim characterized in that said load-bearing structure comprises longitudinal and transverse load-bearing elements, at least one of said load-bearing elements being constituted by a compressed air reservoir. 9. Vehicle according to claim 7 or 8 characterized in that said supporting structure comprises internally hollow bearing elements, compressed air being stored in the cavities of said bearing elements thanks to the presence of at least one supply opening. 10. Vehicle according to claim 7 or subsequent, characterized in that said vehicle is a hybrid vehicle comprising at least one auxiliary electric or internal combustion engine.